The invention relates generally to the manufacture of elements such as doors and more particularly to a veneered raised panel element such as a door and method of manufacturing thereof.
Raised panel doors have been a part of the building and cabinet industries for many years. As shown in FIG. 1, a raised panel door 10 generally includes five components: two rails 12, two stiles 14, and a center panel 16. When the rails 12 and stiles 14 are assembled, the resulting structure is the outer frame 22 of door 10. The rails 12 form the horizontal portions of the door 10 and the stiles 14 form the vertical portions of door 10.
During manufacture, the rails 12 and stiles 14 may be processed by a machine, such as a soft former (not shown), which machines grooves on the inside edges 18 of stiles 14 and rails 12 while a double-end tennoner machines a cope on the ends of rails 12. The copes on rails 12 fit into the patterns comprising grooves on stiles 14 for connecting the two components together. Glue may then be applied to the intersecting portions of the stiles and rails, and the pieces assembled together as a frame around center panel 16. The center panel 16, as well as the stiles 14 and rails 12, are traditionally held in place with staples (not shown) to provide strength while the glue cures. Although machines may be used to perform some of the processes used in forming raised panel door 10, many processes are performed by humans, resulting in a labor-intensive and expensive manufacturing process.
For many years, each of the five components of the raised panel door 10 was made of solid wood materials, which may be quite costly and often lack uniformity in color and grain patterns. With the invention of the vacuum press, however, the industry has moved to manufacturing raised panel doors 10 in which the center panel 16 is made of a veneered panel. Such technology has enabled manufacturers to press and bend veneer over the gently sloping surface of a core material, making the. manufacturing of the door more cost effective. These doors are still labor intensive and costly, however, because the rails 12 and stiles 14 are still manufactured out of solid wood materials.
Manufacturing raised panel doors 10 with solid wood materials has resulted in disadvantages that affect the manufacturing process, the consumer, and the environment. One disadvantage of raised panel doors 10 utilizing solid wood materials is the amount of wood that is required during manufacturing. It is increasingly becoming more difficult to obtain solid stock without blemishes such as knots and which has consistent color. These characteristics are undesirable to manufacturers because they compromise the high quality door desired by consumers. The scarcity of wood stock possessing desirable characteristics is further exacerbated as this stock has become scarcer due to the stock being sold for veneers and at a higher price. Thus, generally the only material left for stiles and rails on raised panel doors 10 is stock that is rejected for veneers. An entire manufacturing process may be needed to provide acceptable wood for the stiles and rails, and much of the original wood stock (e.g., 50-60%) may be wasted in the process.
Although the manufacturing of the center panel 16 out of a veneered substrate has alleviated some of the effects of wood shortages, other problems arise from the incorporation of different products into a single raised panel door 10. First, the veneered center panel 16 of the door 10 may stain to different color than the solid wood stiles and rails. Secondly, the veneered center panel 16 may have a more uniform pattern than the rails 12 and stiles 14 because of the different wood stock used for the veneer and for the solid wood rails 12 and stiles 14. As explained above, the veneer will generally be of a better quality wood stock. Thirdly, the door 10 has a tendency to expand and contract more because of the solid wood materials used in the manufacturing of the stiles and rails. This necessitates the need to staple the center panel into position to allow for the relative movement between the different pieces.
Stapling also results in unsightly staple holes for the manufacturer to fill and evidence of the staple may still be seen in the finished product. Warping of the solid wood pieces may also occur. Furthermore, the assembled door 10 results in a product in which the seams of the cope and groove 20 may be seen along the outer edges of the door 10. In addition, the ends of stiles 14 next to the cope of rails 12 exposes the cross grain of the wood, which does not match and is not as aesthetically pleasing as the wood on the side of the adjacent rails. Also, the end grain generally allows a faster rate of moisture absorption than the edge grain, thereby increasing the risk of warping and instability.
These and other problems are generally solved or circumvented, and technical advantages are generally achieved by preferred embodiments of the present invention. In one preferred embodiment, the raised panel door comprises at least two vertically-oriented framing members, each vertically-oriented framing member having a cavity within the framing member along a first of two elongated sides forming a top edge and a bottom edge and having a first pattern profile along the top edge. The door also comprises at least two horizontally-oriented framing members disposed between the at least two vertically-oriented framing members, each horizontally-oriented framing member having a cope at each of two horizontal ends which is shaped to fit within the cavity of the vertically-oriented framing members to form a door frame, and having a second pattern profile along one of two vertical ends, the second pattern profile designed to tranversely align with the first profile to form a consistent pattern profile around the door frame. A center panel is disposed within the door frame. Edge banding is applied to each of the outer edges. Each of the at least two vertically-oriented members, at least two horizontally-oriented members, and center panel comprise a veneered layered substrate.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for making a door comprises forming pieces of a substrate into at least two vertically-oriented members having a cavity within the vertically-oriented members, at least two horizontally-oriented members having a cope at each of two vertical ends, the cope designed to fit within the cavity of each of the vertically oriented members, and a center panel, each member having profiled inner edges and outer edges; assembling the members together to form the door utilizing the cavity of the vertically-oriented members, the cope of the horizontally-oriented members, and applicable glue; and edge banding the outer edges of the door with an edge band such as veneer or a plastic band.
In another preferred embodiment method, the forming of the members comprises machining strips of veneer covered substrate to the proper size for forming each of the members, forming the cavity and a pattern profile on the at least two vertically-oriented members, forming the cavity, cope and the pattern on the at least two horizontally-oriented members, and veneering the pattern profile on each of the at least two vertically-oriented members and each of the at least two horizontally-oriented members.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet having the inventive door of the present invention comprises a housing and a raised panel door comprising veneer and attached to a side of the housing, the raised panel door having at least two horizontally-oriented framing members disposed between two vertically-oriented framing members to form a door frame, and having a center panel disposed within the door frame, each exposed edge of the door having edge banding applied to the exposed edge.
An advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is the avoidance of costly solid wood materials requiring costly and labor intensive manufacturing, and the decrease in the amount of wood stock taken from the environment.
Another advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is that a less costly, high quality raised panel door may be offered to the consumer.
A further advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a more aesthetically pleasing raised panel door, with uniform staining, decreased warping, and better uniformity of appearance due to elimination of staples and visible cope and groove seams.
Yet another advantage of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is improved structural stability and strength of the door through the use of edge banding across the cope and groove joints between the stiles and rails.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.